The Piano Lesson Page #21

MAROI OARSMEN:

Tarinaharawa - alanel tahuri

ai.

(It's too heavy - the canoe

will tip over.)

SUBTITLED:

BAINES:

Keite pail Kaare e titahataha

aria.

(It's all right! Look it's

nicely balanced.)

SUBTITLED:

ANOTHER OARSMAN:

(Shrugging) Te-hau-jua-kahake

te pupuhi.

(The wind is already strong.)

ANOTHER OARSMAN:

Leave it - its too heavy.

BAINES:

No, she needs it, she must have

it.

SCENE 144 IS NOW COMBINED WITH SCENE 143

SCENE 144 DELETED

Sc 145EXT AT SEA/BEACHDAY Sc 145

The canoe has paddled away from the shore. FLORA leans over the edge

of the canoe, her mouth open, her hair held back by BAINES.

FLORA:

I can't

BAINES rubs her back. FLORA straightens up.

I can't.

They retake their seats, FLORA's back to the piano, while BAINES sits

next to ADA. He tenderly takes her good hand. ADA removes hers and

signs to FLORA who looks at her mother then BAINES amazed.

BAINES:

What did she say?

FLORA:

(puzzled) She says, throw the

piano overboard.

BAINES:

(to ADA) It's quite safe, they

are managing...

ADA signs again.

BAINES:

(Cautiously) What?

FLORA:

She says, throw it overboard.

She doesn't want it. She says

it's spoiled

BAINES:

I have the key here, look, I'll

have it mended...

ADA mimes directly to BAINES, "PUSH IT OVER". Her determination is

increasing.

MAORI OARSMAN:

Ae! Peja. Turakina'. Bushit?

Peja te kawheha kite moana.

(Yeah she's right push it over,

push the coffin in the water.)

SUBTITLED:

BAINES:

(softly, urgently) Please, Ada,

you will regret it. It's your

piano, I want you to have it.

But ADA does not listen, she is adamant and begins to untie the ropes.

FLORA:

(panicking)

She doesn't want IT!

The canoe is unbalancing as ADA struggles with the ropes.

BAINES:

All right. sit down, sit down.

ADA sits, pleased. Her eyes glow and her face is now alive.

BAINES speaks to the MAORIS who stop paddling and together they loosen

the ropes securing the piano to the canoe.

As they maneuver the piano to the edge ADA Jocks into the water. She

puts her hand into the sea and moves it back and forth.

The piano is carefully lowered and with a heave topples over. As the

piano splashes into the sea, the loose ropes speed their way after it.

ADA watches them snake past her feet and then out of a fatal

curiosity, odd and undisciplined, she steps into a loop.

The rope tightens and grips her foot so that she is snatched into the

sea, and pulled by the piano down through the cold water.

Sc 146INT SEA NEAR BEACH DAY Sc 146

Bubbles tumble from her mouth. Down she falls, on and on. her eyes are

open, her clothes twisting about her. The MAORIS diving after her

cannot reach her in these depths. ADA begins to struggle. She kicks at

the rope, but it holds tight around her boot. She kicks hard again and

then with her other foot, levers herself free from her shoe. The piano

and her shoe continue their fall while ADA floats above, suspended in

the deep water, then suddenly her body awakes and fights, struggling

upwards to the surface.

Sc 147 EXT AT SEA BEACH DAY Sc 147

As ADA breaks the surface her VOICE OVER begins:

ADA (VOICE OVER)

What a death!

What a chance!

What a surprise!

My will has chosen life!?

Still it has had me spooked and

many others besides!

ADA coughing and spluttering is pulled on to the canoe. She is wrapped

in jackets and blankets.

Sc 148INT SEA NEAR BEACH DAY Sc 148

Underwater we see the canoe bottom, its oars dipping the surface

Sc 149INT ADA'S NELSON DRAWING ROOM DUSK Sc 149

ADA (VOICE OVER)

I teach piano now in Nelson.

George has fashioned me a metal

finger tip, I am quite the town

freak which satisfies! I am

learning to speak. My sound is

still so bad I am ashamed. I

practice only when I am alone

and it is dark.

ADA's hands move across the piano keys, her metal finger shines in the

dull light.

DISSOLVE TO:

Sc 150INT ADA'S NELSON DRAWING ROOM NIGHT Sc 150

ADA paces up and down the small drawing room. There are no lights on

only a dim blue evening wash. Over her head she has a dark cloth, her

voice makes low guttural sounds as it repeats the vowels.

DISSOLVE TO:

Sc 151INT SEA BED NEAR BEACH DAY Sc 151

ADA (VOICE OVER)

At night! I think of my piano

in its ocean grave, and

sometimes of myself floating

above it. Down there everything

is so still and silent that it

lulls me to sleep. It is a

weird lullaby and so it is; it

is mine.

ADA's piano on the seabed, its lid fallen away. Above floats ADA, her

hair and arms stretched out in a gesture of surrender, her body slowly

turning on the end of the rope. The seaweed's rust coloured fronds

reach out to touch her.

THERE IS A SILENCE WHERE HATH BEEN NO SOUND

THERE IS A SILENCE WHERE NO SOUND MAY BE

IN THE COLD GRAVE, UNDER THE DEEP DEEP SEA.

(Hood)

NOTES AND EXTRA DIALOGUE

1.

Sc 10 SEAMAN'S DISCUSSION

The wind and the low manner of their speaking makes it impossible to

hear the exact nature of the discussion.

-'Tis a dead shore, a dead shore

-Leave her here, it's what she wanted.

-A pox on you!

-Ay very nice, leave her and be lynched for the pleasure.

-Do what you like, I'm off this shore

ETC.

2.

Sc 12 ART DEPARTMENT NOTE

ADA's finger is seen INSIDE the dark crate sounding a few notes

3.

Sc 15 TRANSLATION NOTE

(i) With the MAORI language dialogue of BAINES and the MAORI PEOPLE,

the general scheme is that only when necessary to sense or humour will

subtitled translation be given. However for the benfit of its readers

this script will translate everything noting what will and won't be

subtitled.

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